Combined laundry washing machine and hydro-extractor



' 1,637,930 1927' A. DIMATOS ET AL COMBIN ED LAUNDRY WASHING MACHINE AND HYDRO EXTRACTOR Fil ed Aug. 24. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet].

A. DlMATos ET AL COMBINED LAUNDRY WASHING MACHINE AND H YDRO' EXTRACTOR Patented Aug. 2,1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARCHIE :omazros AND GREGORY nmr'rnr MICHAL, or SYDNEY, NEW sourn warns,

1 AUSTRALIA.

I COMBINED LAUNDRY WASHING MACHINE AND HYDRO-TRACTOR.

Application filed August 24, 1926, Serial No. 131,281, and in Australia April 27, 1 925.

This invention relates, to double purpose laundry machines particularly adapted for domestic service, and it consists in certain novel. features in combined washers and hydro extractors of the type in which clothing or the like is successively treated for washing and for partial drying in the same bowl in successive operations.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. l is a vertical sectional elevation of the machine on the line 1-1' of Figure 2; Fig. 2 is a top plan with a protective housin which encloses the mechanism removed; ig. 3 is a side elevational view, with the hous ng removed;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional elevation on the plane 4-4 Fig. 2; and y h Fig. 5 is a lan view of portion of the gearing which is shown in Fig. 4.

The casing 10 is preferably of cylindrical shape, reinforced at the sides by stifieners 11 andoptionally also stifi'ened on the bottom by means of wooden bearers 12, the ends of which are secured to angle iron rim or 2 frame pieces 13. The casing is supported on trunnions 14 which are carried in bearings 15 on the top ends of the A frames 16. 29 are braces on the A frames which hold them erect and rigid. is a hinged seg- 30 mental lidonthe' casing 10, and 31 are hinges on which the lid 30 ishung. The

casing maybe rocked on the trunnions 14 to set it in the vertical'position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, or to tip :it laterally so as to bring the axis of the casing and the bowl within it to a horizontal or. nearly horizontal position.-, 17 is 'aslip key by which the casing- 10 is locked in extreme lateral position, or'in vertical osition;-any form of latch or fas- I tener-in be used in place of the key fastening' 17. I

18 is the bowl. Its sides are perforatedas shown at 19 and its rim portion is set 1n-. wardly as shown at 20 in order to diminish slopp'n vandretain clothing during washing and d ning. The slip-in lidl2l'is secured in shut p0 ition on the bowl mouth by means of ale f spring- 22 which is riveted to it and which are upwardly against the under side P of the yoke 23. The yoke-ends are riveted at" 24 to the bowl sides and the bowl is supported by the yoke and the footstep bearing 81 in a 10, sufiicient clearance being allowed for latplied with electric current. 34 is the motor shaft, 35 a friction pinion fixed on the shaft 34, and 36 a worm also fixed on the shaft 34.- 37 is a large spur wheel 'rotat'ably carried on a spindle 38 which is supported by thebridge frame 39 which is fixed on the floor 27 of the housing 28. 40 is a slotway for permitting adjustment of the spindle 38 to adjust the meshing of the wheel 37 with the worm 36. 41 is a guide rod which is. supportedat its ends on bracket members 42 forming part of the gear housingfloor 27. 43 is a tubular crosshead which is slidable on the guide rod 41'. It is armed'with a drive stud 44 which is connected by a itman rod 45 with a crank pin 46 on one of the spokes vof the large worm wheel 37. It is also armed with an upstanding stud 48 which works in a slot .49 in the spoke 50 of the spur gear segment 51; this segment is mounted for oscillation on a stud 52 which is fixed on the housing floor 27. 53 is a spur pinion fixed on the top end of the bowl spindle 25. The: lever 54 which carries the neck bearing 26 is fulcrumed on a fixed pin 55. The lever 54 is terminated in a hand piece 56 which projects through a slot in the side of the housing. 57 is, a ramp on the lever 54. A spindle 58 which is slidable end wise in its bearing 59 has keyed upon it a friction wheel 60 and a spur pinion 61. The pinion 53 (on the bowl spindle) is meshed with the segment rack 51 when the lever 54 35. =Conversely,when the lever-"54 is moved,

more or less central position in the {casing 1, in the oppositedirection, the ra p 57 the heel 63 of the riding lever 64 and t a spring 95 is set over in one extreme position, or with 66 lifts the tail 71 of the riding lever 64 thus lifting the spur pinion 61 and the spindle 58 and bringing the wheel 60 mto frictional engagement with the pinion 35. 7 2 is an electrical heater element which may be fitted on the side of the casing, or may be on the bottom of it, and 73 are the electric current leads of the heater.

In operation, the casing 10 being positioned on its rocking bearings 14 so that the bowl stands erect, and the motor being idle and the bowl being charged and still, water with soap or other detergent, is run into the casing 10 in sufficient quantity to about half immerse the bowl, and the clothing in it. The lid 21 being fixed on the bowl the casing lid 30 is closed. Before starting the motor the casing is tipped over to the lateral position, the key 17 being drawn to free it and then reset in the other lock lug 17*, so that the bowl is brought to horizontal or nearly horizontal position. The gear lever 54 is also moved to bring the yoke spindle pinion 53 into mesh with the rack 37 and to simultaneously free the friction wheel 60 from the friction pinion 35. The motor being now started, the bowl is caused to be oscillated on its axis, a full oscillation in either direction or more than a full oscillation being provided for by the relative dimensions of the rack 51 and the pinion 53. In practice, two or three rotations in either direction is desirable between each reversal. In this oscillating motion of the bowl 18 the clothing within it is tumbled to and fro and sufiers a rubbing motion one piece on the other and against the walls of the bowl, the water meantime having free access to the bowl through perforations 19 in the wall of it. The clothing is thus submitted to an effective rubbing action, with the result that it is very thoroughly cleansed.

When the washing thus performed has been carried sufiiciently far, hot water being used when deemed desirable and the machine used also as the boiler when boiling is requiredin either of which cases the heater element 72 is utilized-the casing is tipped to the erect position and thewash water run oil through a cock or plug vent 75. Rinse water may then be introduced into the casing, the casing again tipped as for washing, and the bowl again oscillated. after which the casing is again brought to the vertical position and the rinse water evacuated. The gear lever 54 is now thrown over to unmesh the pinion 53 from the segment rack 51 and to engage the friction drive 60-35 and also to mesh the gears 61 and 53. In this movement of the lever 54 the ramp 57 moving under the heel 63 of the riding lever 64 permits the spring 66 to tip up the riding lever and so lift the spindle 58 to bring the friction wheel 60 up to the pinion 35. This drive comes from the motor 32 through the shaft 34, pinion 35, friction wheel 60 and the spur pinion 61 to the spur pinion 53 on the bowl spindle. The bowl isthus caused to be rotated continuously at high velocity sufiicient to eject most of the free water from the clothing by centrifugal action, bringing the clothing to an almost dry condition. The

drying can be completed by exposure to air in a hot chamber in a relatively short time. The goods are thus practically submitted to hydro-extractor drying. the rate of rotation of the bowl being not, however, as high as in factory laundry machine practice, with the result that the drying is not carried quite so far as in factory practice butyet' sufficiently far to satisfy domestic requirements. The operation being thus completed, the motor is switched ofi, and as soon as the bowl has come to a standstill-"the casing lid 30 may be opened, the bowl lid 21 removed, the clothin withdrawn from the bowl, and another e arge inserted, and the same series of operations repeated.

The machine is in practice constructed with a bowl having a diameter of about one foot six inches and a'depth approximating its diameter, and the casing is of sufficient size to accommodate this bowl with an inch or two clearance all round; these sizes may be departed from more or less as the operation of the machine does not depend upon making it in any particular size. The measurements indicated su gest the size of a machine which has sufficient capacity for usual domestic demands.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a laundry machine, a casing, a perforate bowl located in the casing having an open top, a supporting yoke spanning the open top of the bowl, means rotatably mountiplg the yoke and bowl in the casing, a lid for t e mem er for the lidnormally bearing against the yoke and lid.

2. In a laundry machine, a casing, a perforate bowl in said casing, means for imparting oscillatory or rotary movement to said bowl, a spindle at the upper extremity of the bowl, a lever pivotally connected with the casing and rotatably receiving the spindle and operatively associated with said movement imparting means and means rotatably mounting the lower extremity of the bowl in the casing and permitting tilting movement of the bowl whereby either oscillatory or rotary movement may be imparted to said bowl.

3. In a'laundry machine, a casing, a perforate bowl in said casing, means for imparting oscillatory or rotary movement to said bowl,

a spindle at the upper extremity of the bowl, a lever pivotally connected with the casing and rotatably receiving the spindle and operatively associated with said movement imparting means and means rotatably mounterforate bowl and a spring retaininging the lower extremity of the bowl in the casing and permitting tilting movement of the bowl whereby either oscillatory or rotary movement may be imparted to said bowl, and a protective housing partiallv receiving said lever and the upper extremity of the spindle.

4. In a laundry machine, a casing, a perforate bowl located in said casing, means for imparting oscillatory or rotary movement to said bowl, a yoke spanning the umoer part of the bowl, a spindle carried by the yoke, a lever pivotally mounted on the casing and rotatably receiving said spindle and operatively associated with said movement imparting means, and means rotatably mounting the lower part of the bowl in the casing and permitting tilting movement of the bowl whereby either oscillatory or rotary movement may be imparted to said bowl.

5. In a laundry machine, a casin a perforate bowl in said casing, a spin le at the upper extremity of the bowl. a lever pivotally connected with the casing and rotatably receiving the spindle, means rotatably mounting the lower extremity of the bowl in the casing and permitting tilting movement of the bowl, and change movement means acting in response to swinging movement of the lever for imparting movements to the spindle and bowl.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

ARCHIE DIMATOS. GREGORY DIMITRI MICI-IAL. 

